“A Christmas Story” cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now

"A Christmas Story" cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now Sarah Weldon, Kevin JacobsenNovember 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM 30 MGM/Courtesy Everett Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker, Ian Petrella as Randy, and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story' Break out the fudge and the provocative lamp: It's time for our annual checkin with the Parkers. Since its release in 1983, A Christmas Story has turned into a family tradition, one of the essential films to watch around the holiday season.

- - "A Christmas Story" cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now

Sarah Weldon, Kevin JacobsenNovember 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM

30

MGM/Courtesy Everett

Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker, Ian Petrella as Randy, and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'

Break out the fudge and the provocative lamp: It's time for our annual check-in with the Parkers. Since its release in 1983, A Christmas Story has turned into a family tradition, one of the essential films to watch around the holiday season. Capturing the nostalgic glow of childhood wonder and hijinks, the film — about an adult Ralphie looking back on one chaotic Christmas in 1940 — hits the sweet spot for viewers of all ages.

While most of the Christmas Story cast are primarily recognized for their roles in the film, each has led a wildly different career during the past four-plus decades. From Peter Billingsley to Ian Petrella and everyone in between, we're looking at where the cast of A Christmas Story is now.

Peter Billingsley (Ralphie)

Everett Collection; Maarten de Boer/Contour by Getty Images Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'; Peter Billingsley poses in the Getty Images Portrait Studio at the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association press tour at the Langham Hotel on Jan. 5, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif.

Although he technically only had a handful of lines in A Christmas Story — a muddled expletive being one of them — Peter Billingsley stayed on the Christmas movie circuit later in life, appearing in Elf (2003) and Four Christmases (2008) years after his iconic role.

"People ask me, 'Why does this movie resonate?'" Billingsley told EW in 2022 of A Christmas Story. "Because it's a real family, man. By the same token, it's also not quite the super dark, indie, the 'Oh, no, don't open that family door.' It's not that family, but it's also not the Bradys or Disney-fied."

Billingsley also added a handful of TV appearances over the decades on shows like Who's the Boss?, Punky Brewster, and The Wonder Years. He has primarily worked behind the scenes, as a director of films including Couples Retreat (2009) and Term Life (2016), and producer of projects like The Break-Up (2006), Iron Man (2008), The Opening Act (2020), Broke (2025), and the Netflix series F is for Family.

He also co-produced the original 2012 Broadway musical adaptation of A Christmas Story, and reprised his role as Ralphie in the 2022 HBO Max film A Christmas Story Christmas.

Ian Petrella (Randy)

Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/WireImage Ian Petrella as Randy in 'A Christmas Story'; Ian Petrella attending the 2007 Chiller Theatre Convention at the Hilton Hotel on Oct. 5, 2007, in Parsippany, N.J.

After his breakout role as Ralphie's little brother Randy, Ian Petrella went on to appear on a string of television shows, including Diff'rent Strokes, Who's the Boss?, Highway to Heaven, My Sister Sam, and Beverly Hills, 90210 (his last credit before a 15-year acting break).

The actor studied improv at the Groundlings Comedy Theater in Los Angeles and now focuses on animation and puppetry (having worked on the Henson Company's '90s series Brats of the Lost Nebula). He played Randy again in A Christmas Story Christmas.

Melinda Dillon (Mrs. Parker)

Everett Collection; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker in 'A Christmas Story'; Melinda Dillon attends the memorial service for Hal Ashby on Dec. 27, 1988, at the Director's Guild Theater in Hollywood, Calif.

Melinda Dillon was already a Tony-winning actress before she starred as Ralphie and Randy's kind, eccentric mother in A Christmas Story, with two Oscar nominations under her belt to boot for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Absence of Malice (1981).

After 1983, Dillon appeared in such films as Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Staying Together (1989), Captain America (1990), The Prince of Tides (1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), and Magnolia (1999). In 2005, Dillon guest-starred on Law & Order: SVU. She was last seen on screen in 2007, with the TV series Heartland and the film Reign Over Me alongside Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Dillon died in 2023 at the age of 83.

Darren McGavin (Old Man Parker)

Everett Collection; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker in 'A Christmas Story'; Darren McGavin at the 51st annual Directors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on March 6, 1999

Back in 1983, Darren McGavin helped to make a practically pornographic lamp an icon as Ralphie and Randy's major-award-winning Old Man.

Following A Christmas Story, he appeared in films like Turk 182 (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Dead Heat (1988), and 1990's Captain America — the latter alongside his former onscreen wife, Melinda Dillon. He played Adam Sandler's billionaire dad in Billy Madison (1995) and was also nominated for an Emmy in 1990 for his guest appearance on Murphy Brown (other guest spots included Murder, She Wrote; The X-Files; and Touched by an Angel).

McGavin died of cardiovascular disease in 2006 at the age of 83.

Scott Schwartz (Flick)

Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/Getty Images Scott Schwartz as Flick in 'A Christmas Story'; Scott Schwartz attends Chiller Theater Expo Winter 2017 at the Parsippany Hilton on Oct. 28, 2017, in Parsippany, N.J.

After A Christmas Story, Scott Schwartz appeared in Kidco (1984) and the TV movie A Time to Live (1985) with Liza Minnelli and Corey Haim.

In the 1990s, Schwartz worked in the adult film industry both in front of and behind the camera, appearing in such films as Beauty and the Beast Part II (1990) and Scotty's X-Rated Adventure (1996). He also starred in a few low-budget horror films, including 2021's Normal Terror and 2025's Scissors.

Schwartz is known for his line of celebrity-based trading cards and was even featured on a 2008 cover of Sports Card Monthly. He returned to the role of Flick in A Christmas Story Christmas.

R.D. Robb (Schwartz)

Everett Collection; Ann Johansson/AP/REX/Shutterstock

R.D. Robb as Schwartz in 'A Christmas Story'; R.D. Robb at the 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD release of 'A Christmas Story' in 2003

Back in 1983, R.D. Robb made his acting debut by wearing a sock hat and issuing one of the more memorable, traumatizing acts of peer pressure in cinematic history.

Since then, he's gone on to appear in films like The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and Matilda (1996) and on TV shows including ER, Unhappily Ever After, Touched by an Angel, and The Goldbergs. In 1995, he wrote and directed the movie Don's Plum, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, both of whom tried to stop the movie from being released in the United States.

Later in his career, Robb served as executive producer for the series Siren on Freeform. He played Schwartz again in A Christmas Story Christmas.

Tedde Moore (Miss Shields)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Vince Talotta/Getty Images Tedde Moore as Miss Shields in 'A Christmas Story'; Tedde Moore on March 18, 1999

Tedde Moore reprised the role of Miss Shields for 1994's My Summer Story (originally released as It Runs in the Family), which was taken from the same book of vignettes as A Christmas Story. She was the only actor to appear in both films.

Moore later went on to appear in projects like RoboCop: Prime Directives (2001) and the 2011 miniseries The Kennedys. She was also in the film High-Rise Rescue and Hallmark's Magical Christmas Ornaments in 2017.

Music fans might also know her as the mother of Canadian producer and actor Noah James Shebib, a.k.a. 40, who is best known for his work with Drake.

Jean Shepherd (Adult Ralphie)

Everett Collection; Arthur Pomerantz/Getty Images Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'; Jean Shepherd on a radio broadcast

Prolific writer and radio host Jean Shepherd co-wrote the semi-fictional 1983 film and also served as its narrator. He also narrated the film's sequel of sorts, My Summer Story.

Shepherd also lent his signature voice to Sesame Street in the animated "Cowboy X" segment that aired repeatedly over the years before his death in 1999 at the age of 78. In 2005, he was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

on Entertainment Weekly

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“A Christmas Story” cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now

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Kandy picks the best and worst looks from the AS7 ball and reveals what happened backstage before she made up with her season 13 sister at DragCon. Drag Race queen Kandy Muse breaks down the All Stars 7 ball looks, and making up with Tamisha Iman Kandy picks the best and worst looks from the AS7 ball and reveals what happened backstage before she made up with her season 13 sister at DragCon. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiauthorphotoba4923fec03a4027868306485696ef41.jpg) Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at .

Kandy picks the best and worst looks from the AS7 ball and reveals what happened backstage before she made up with her season 13 sister at DragCon.

Drag Race queen Kandy Muse breaks down the All Stars 7 ball looks, and making up with Tamisha Iman

Kandy picks the best and worst looks from the AS7 ball and reveals what happened backstage before she made up with her season 13 sister at DragCon.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

June 1, 2022 4:37 p.m. ET

The doors Kandy Muse opened for backpack skirts — like the one she wore during her infamous *Untucked* clash with Tamisha Iman — can still be felt on the *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7* runway, and the "Producer" herself has something to say about it.

But before diving into our latest recap of *AS7* on *EW's BINGE* podcast (below), the season 13 runner-up exclusively tells EW how she patched things up with Tamisha at RuPaul's DragCon L.A. last month, following a turbulent period in the costars' relationship throughout most of 2021.

"I wasn't sure how it was going to go between me and Tamisha, because I knew we had to do the queen walk, and we hadn't spoken since the whole blocked-on-Instagram situation," Kandy recalls of lining up to walk the pink carpet atop the main floor at the drag convention. "We were back stage, I looked at her, she looked at me, we just went up to each other, hugged each other and were like, 'Hey girl, how have you been?'"

Tamisha Iman and Kandy Muse pose at DragCon in Los Angeles on May 13, 2022. Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic

Kandy says fellow cast member Denali then suggested that she stand with Tamisha as the cast hit the carpet, when she remembers Tamisha asking her if they wanted to "walk together" in front of fans for the first time since they publicly butted heads across social media following their iconic argument on *Untucked*.

"I was like, 'Yeah, you know what, you go out there first, pause on the carpet, then I'll go out there and we'll hold hands.' It really was a moment," Kandy says. "For the rest of that weekend, I kept popping back up and she kept popping back up at my booth and [we were] having a good time. We're in the works of working out something together for the future.... absolutely, why not, I think people love the dynamic of me and Tamisha for whatever reason, so, let's make it work. Life is too short. It's not personal, it's just drag!"

Turning her attention to *All Stars 7*, Kandy also says she got a kick out of judge Michelle Visage praising last week's challenge winner Jaida Essence Hall for using bags on her skirt over a year after the season 13 finalist memorably hot-glued a bunch of backpacks to her waist for her ball challenge back in 2021.

"I thought Jaida looked incredible, and when Michelle [asked] who would've thought to put backpacks on a skirt on a ball episode, which is exactly what I did on my ball episode, I was like, hmm, interesting," Kandy says with a laugh, going on to reveal that she had initially begun to construct an entirely different outfit made of plaid acrylic bags, but decided against it at the last minute as she pivoted to the colorful backpack ensemble she created.

She says the look is still in her closet, though the fragile piece is "hanging on by a thread, or by glue," and might only make a comeback if her planned collaboration with Tamisha ever comes to fruition.

Kandy Muse in her Bag Ball Eleganza look during a heated 'Untucked.'. VH1

Kandy ultimately feels that the *All Stars 7* ball ranks as "cohesively, one of the best balls" in franchise her-story — even with the threat of season 7 winner Violet Chachki booting fan-favorite looks, like she recently did to Raja.

"I think that it's hilarious, I think that people take the opinions of other people way too literal and serious," Kandy says of the drama surrounding Raja getting "booted" on the *Fashion Photo RuView* recap show Violet hosts with season 13's Gottmik. "To me, a boot from Violet Chachki is just a boot from Violet Chachki. It doesn't change or make anything. Fashion, to me, is art, and art is subjective. Some people thought that my alien look was campy, some people hated the alien look, the beauty is behind the beholder's eye — or whatever the saying is."

Listen to Kandy's full episode of *EW's BINGE* — including her complete breakdown of the best and worst *AS7* ball looks — above, and listen to more recaps with the* Drag Race* cast below. Tune in to the @EW Twitter Spaces feed Tuesdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT for new *Quick Drag* interviews with show alums, *All Stars 7* cast members, and more special guests throughout the show's ongoing season streaming on Paramount+.

***Subscribe to*****EW's BINGE* podcast****** for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including weekly *All Stars 7 *recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.***

**Related content: **

- Jinkx Monsoon reveals why she isn't saying 'water off a duck's back' on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*

- Dave reacts to Jinkx Monsoon's Judy Garland *Snatch Game* on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*

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Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:12AM on Source: SHOWBIZ MAG

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Drag Race queen Kandy Muse breaks down the All Stars 7 ball looks, and making up with Tamisha Iman

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Monét tells EW there might be a second, secret alliance brewing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7. Monét X Change teases new Drag Race All Stars 7 alliance: 'I was not the only one playing the game' Monét tells EW there might be a second, secret alliance brewing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiauthorphotoba4923fec03a4027868306485696ef41.jpg) Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at . Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more. EW's editorial guidelines June 8, 2022 7:49 p.m.

Monét tells EW there might be a second, secret alliance brewing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7.

Monét X Change teases new Drag Race All Stars 7 alliance: 'I was not the only one playing the game'

Monét tells EW there might be a second, secret alliance brewing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

June 8, 2022 7:49 p.m. ET

Monét X Change — beloved sponge queen — is soaking up all of the chaotic vibes after being blocked from winning another Legendary Legend Star for the first time on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*.

Though she stirred the pot by forming an alliance with fellow* All Stars 4 *winner Trinity The Tuck back on episode 1 of the first all-winners competition in *Drag Race* her-story, Monét says in an exclusive EW's BINGE podcast interview (below) that she suspects an alternate, secret alliance is brewing among her sisters outside the *AS4* coalition — specifically, as she says, including *Drag Race UK*'s The Vivienne, who handed Monét the Platinum Plunger on Friday's episode.

"Jaida did hand it to her, so, maybe they have some situation working that I'm not privy to, and I'm very curious to see what ends up happening," Monét says of the moment Jaida Essence Hall handed The Vivienne a xylophone prop from off-stage to enhance her lip-sync performance at the end of the episode, which helped her win the dance-off and ultimately gave her the ability to block Monét. "We haven't seen it yet, I don't know where we're at or what you've seen or what makes the cut, but I definitely thought there was a smoker's alliance going on, and this was furthering my point."

When asked if she knew that Jaida was going to spruce up The Vivienne's performance with the prop hand-off, Monét maintains that she had no idea the exchange would happen.

Jaida Essence Hall gives The Vivienne a xylophone during her 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7' lip-sync.

"I think that it's part of the alliance. Maybe it did happen, but I did not see any talks of them giving someone a xylophone, about who's going to do the *American Bandstand*," Monét explains. "So, I think there's some alliance that we're going to find out about, and people will see that I was not the only one playing the game."

While she still has her eyes on Jaida, Monét counts The Vivienne out of her plan for an alliance, joking that she "will absolutely come for that bitch" after the British queen's latest move.

The Vivienne blocks Monét X Change on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7'. World of Wonder

"Now that I have been blocked, I don't feel the weight of having to be so crazy with the alliance. I'm still going to be working, but not as intensely as I was," finishes Monét. "Maybe a little twist might come that might force me to play hard again, but who knows?"

See how Monét deals with being blocked in the Werk Room when RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 continues Friday on Paramount+. Listen to Monét's full BINGE interview above, and hear more episodes from our *Drag Race* podcast feed below.

***Subscribe to*****EW's BINGE* podcast****** for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including weekly *All Stars 7 *recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.***

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- Jaida Essence Hall hilariously confuses *Drag Race* sisters with 'energy booster' Tajín shots: 'It's legal!'

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- Jinkx Monsoon reveals why she isn't saying 'water off a duck's back' on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*

- Jaida Essence Hall actually (accidentally) slapped Raja in *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 *rehearsal

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Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:12AM on Source: SHOWBIZ MAG

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Monét X Change teases new Drag Race All Stars 7 alliance: 'I was not the only one playing the game'

Monét tells EW there might be a second, secret alliance brewing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7. Monét X Change te...

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The All Stars 7 champ reveals the joke was a sweet nod to two of her RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 sisters. Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon finally reveals why she called RuPaul 'Broom' on Snatch Game The All Stars 7 champ reveals the joke was a sweet nod to two of her RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 sisters. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiauthorphotoba4923fec03a4027868306485696ef41.jpg) Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at . Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more. EW's editorial guidelines August 25, 2022 2:23 p.m.

The All Stars 7 champ reveals the joke was a sweet nod to two of her RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 sisters.

Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon finally reveals why she called RuPaul 'Broom' on Snatch Game

The All Stars 7 champ reveals the joke was a sweet nod to two of her RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 sisters.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 25, 2022 2:23 p.m. ET

Jinkx Monsoon swept up the *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 *crown thanks in large part to her *Snatch Game* performance as Judy Garland, but one question about the legendary impersonation has endured for puzzled fans and judges alike: Why did she (hilariously) refer to RuPaul as "Broom" during the challenge?

The season 5 winner revealed that the joke wasn't intended to be understood by anyone other than Alyssa Edwards and Alaska, her drag sisters from her original season on the show, which aired in 2013.

"Alaska and I were constantly doing impressions of Alyssa Edwards' [*Snatch Game*] impersonation of Katy Perry that was so baffling that we couldn't help but just make a whole character based on just that impression. Alyssa Edwards' voice is already extremely unique, and then her voice trying to do Katy Perry was just more Alyssa than even Alyssa normally talks," Jinkx said on Thursday's episode of Vulture's *Good One* podcast. "We kept joking that, as Katy Perry, when Ru asks Alyssa, 'Have you ever kissed a girl?' and Alyssa went, 'Ru, never!' [it became] 'Bru,' and then it just devolved into 'Broom, neber," so when I called Ru 'Broom,' it was the tiniest little Easter egg, pretty much just for Alaska."

Jinkx Monsoon on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7'. Paramount+/World of Wonder

Jinkx's iconic *Snatch Game* performance did more than just cleanse the souls of weary *Drag Race* fans: It also absolved the queen's season 5 makeover subject, veteran soldier Dave Lara, of his self-proclaimed role in Garland's death after he made the stunning revelation in the Werk Room back in 2013.

During her performance on *All Stars 7*, Jinkx made a direct address to Lara by telling him that he was "not responsible" for Garland's death. In a subsequent interview with EW, Lara explained that, upon meeting the iconic actress at a Boston speakeasy in November 1968, he provided her with barbiturates shortly before she died the following year.

"I don't want to be judged by people. I don't want to be castigated or made out to be the villain. Ru and I had a conversation on the show where she said [Judy] did a lot to get to this place. Judy had a choice, and, like *The Matrix*, you can take the blue pill and go to sleep and wake up in the morning and never remember any of this, or you can take the red pill and go down the rabbit hole and never come out. She made that choice," Lara said. "Whether I allowed or contributed to that, she was so clever, she would've found the pills anyway. That made me feel a little better, but people don't know about that time. We were stupid, we were ignorant. Giving someone with an addiction pills? I've never given anyone pills or drugs or anything since."

Watch Jinkx's iconic *All Stars 7 Snatch Game* performance — and listen to her appearance on the *Good One* podcast — above.

***Subscribe to*****EW's BINGE* podcast****** for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including weekly *All Stars 7 *recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.***

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Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon finally reveals why she called RuPaul 'Broom' on Snatch Game

The All Stars 7 champ reveals the joke was a sweet nod to two of her RuPaul 's Drag Race season 5 sisters. Drag Race ...

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John Cena, Sung Kang, and director Louis Leterrier on all the Fast X twists and why [SPOILER] had...

Breaking down all the twists, major character returns, and a death in the family in the latest entry in the Fast & Furious franchise. John Cena, Sung Kang, and director Louis Leterrier on all the Fast X twists and why [SPOILER] had to die Breaking down all the twists, major character returns, and a death in the family in the latest entry in the Fast & Furious franchise. By Chanelle Berlin Johnson :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/Chanellef3e8e47787ba4d4f912562034e3e745b.png) Chanelle Berlin Johnson Chanelle Berlin Johnson is a former director, audio and social media, at . She left EW in 2023.

Breaking down all the twists, major character returns, and a death in the family in the latest entry in the Fast & Furious franchise.

John Cena, Sung Kang, and director Louis Leterrier on all the *Fast X *twists and why [SPOILER] had to die

Breaking down all the twists, major character returns, and a death in the family in the latest entry in the Fast & Furious franchise.

By Chanelle Berlin Johnson

Chanelle Berlin Johnson

Chanelle Berlin Johnson is a former director, audio and social media, at **. She left EW in 2023.

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May 23, 2023 8:24 a.m. ET

**Warning: This article contains spoilers for *Fast X*.**

As* The Fast Saga* speeds into its final lap, the franchise is pulling out all of its biggest tricks and most emotional moments on the way to the finish line. *Fast X* packs in a double-crossing twist, multiple cliffhangers, two huge returns, and even a death in the Toretto family.

"It's been 20 years, almost a quarter of a century with these characters, this family," director Louis Leterrier says on EW's *BINGE: The Fast Saga* podcast. "They have done so much for so many people, and also have fought so many enemies that now people are coming back after them. They are going to have to pay the heaviest price, you know, just the heftiest price. Tears are going to be shed."

The first major cost to Dominic Toretto's (Vin Diesel) crew comes in the form of an epic sacrifice. After gleeful villain Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) swipes Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) right off of a moving vehicle, his brother Jakob (John Cena) turns his custom cannon car into a bomb to prevent an attack on Dom and give him a chance to rescue his son. The heroic Hail Mary sees Jakob go out in a literal blaze of glory.

Leo Abelo Perry and John Cena in 'Fast X'. Peter Mountain/Universal

Jakob's death helps complete the character's arc for Leterrier. "[I thought], what if we really leaned into this relationship with Little B and this uncle who never experienced love or hasn't experienced love in a long time?" he tells EW. "And then that comes through via his nephew and just the awkwardness that turns into love, and [there's] just that moment where he feels he really accepts the responsibility of being a part of this family."

When approaching Cena, Leterrier admits he wasn't sure at first how the actor would respond to the idea. Cena could tell. "I remember [Louis] being extremely nervous because what that signifies is something that could elicit a reaction from me," he says. "But what he failed to realize is my perspective of every opportunity is to allow me to do the best I can with this opportunity. And that's it. And his idea was the best. And I'm a big believer in best idea wins."

Still, as the newest member of the family exits, an old favorite gets to make a surprise return to the land of the living: Gisele.

Gal Gadot in 2013's 'Fast & Furious 6'. Giles Keyte/Universal

A decade earlier, Gisele (Gal Gadot) made her own sacrifice to save Han (Sung Kang) in 2013's *Fast & Furious 6*. Han would eventually meet his death in 2006's *The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift —* in a bit of timeline trickery that's now become central to *The Fast Saga*'s lore — only for fans to learn in *F9* that Han's death had been faked by Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), bringing his character back into the fold. Now it seems that both halves of the franchise's most tragic love story have been alive the whole time.

Kang is excited about all the possibilities it creates for the future, including potentially showcasing more intimacy in Han and Gisele's scenes together. "What are those quiet moments when two people are missing each other? How do they change? How do you engage in conversation, and where do you find that shorthand again in a relationship? Is it distant? Is it intimate right away? Is it like becoming friends again, earning that friendship? So, there's so much."

It was important to Leterrier, though, to make sure Gisele was returning for a purpose. "There was no bringing back Gisele without knowing where we were taking her and what was going to happen in the next one and how involved was she going to be," he says. "Gal was very clear with us, which was like, 'Yeah, you know, I love it, and this is my family, but what's the plan?' So obviously we had to think hard, but luckily we had."

Vin Diesel and The Rock in 'Fast Five'. Jaimie Trueblood/Universal Pictures

The reveal that Dante Reyes has his sights set on Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs is arguably an even bigger surprise. Johnson previously said he wouldn't return for the franchise's ninth and tenth installments after reports of conflict between him and Diesel, but his mid-credits scene in *Fast X* suggests he's had a change of heart about *The Fast Saga*'s grand finale.

"It's a great kind of reflection on life and how movies can maybe be a teaching moment, give you opportunities to learn from your heroes," says Kang. "Like, oh, they squashed that. What was that about? Like, I don't even remember that. Like, what was the problem?"

Despite the return of both Gisele and Hobbs, Leterrier makes one thing clear: "Not everyone is going to come back though."

Remember, *Fast X* is still just part one of the franchise's long goodbye, and the stakes will only get higher. "At one point, this model is not going to be able to continue," says Leterrier. "And that point is very soon."

Listen to our full EW's *BINGE: The Fast Saga* podcast episode below:

**Subscribe to *****EW's BINGE: The Fast Saga***** feed via ****Apple Podcasts****, ****Spotify,**** or ****wherever you get your podcasts****. You can also subscribe to ****EW's YouTube page**** to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to ****EW.com**** for even more *Fast *coverage**.

**Related content:**

- *Fast X* mid-credits scene brings back [SPOILER]

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Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Action"

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Source: Action

Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:12AM on Source: SHOWBIZ MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byAlex Perish

in

November 30, 2025

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